First Teaching Assignment

Going through some old files I came across this drawing of a swam that I did when I was in Grade One and it was dated on the back 21 June 1962.

It was because of this drawing that I ended up having my first art teaching assignment. I was asked to teach a class of Grade Six students on how I did my drawing of the swan.

I had them start by placing the water line followed by doing the numeral 2 to place the top of the swan on the paper.

Next, they put a ball at the start of the number for the head and added a triangle for the bill.














To slightly below the centre of the ball (head) they drew the bottom of the neck and came slightly forward and brought the chest down to the waterline.

From there I extended the bottom of the two slightly upward for the top of the tail.

Below that we put in a curved line for the bottom of the tail and brought it down to the waterline.

Just back of  the neck we put in the wing and added the large feathers.

Lastly, the top of the leg was put in slightly above the waterline.

Cardinal 3 - A Work in Progress

Today I was painting with the Tuesday Buckhorn Painting Group at St. Matthews Church.

We had guest instructor Gail Hawkins in to teach how to draw and paint a Cardinal in watercolour.

She had copies of a photograph of a Cardinal that we could use, but I chose to work from one of my own photographs.

Once I had drawn my bird onto the paper, I brushed in a background colour using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and burnt sienna.

While the background was drying, we broke for lunch and when we returned it was time to put the colour onto the bird.















Using new gamboge, I brushed in the sun touched areas of the bird as well as the under paint for the beak.

Next, using a mixture of alizarin crimson with a small amount of burnt sienna I put in the base colour for the cardinal. While that was drying I used a dark of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson to indicate the area of the mask.

I put in another layer of the red in some of the darker areas, by then it was time to leave.

I will post this painting at a later date once more work on the bird has been completed.

Fire

Today, after supper while I was babysitting my grandson, he brought out his and my drawings of Fire that we had started during the summer (see post on 02 August 2019).

I was very surprised to see that he had kept them and wanted to finish them.

We worked on putting in the flames with red, yellow, orange, blue, green and purple until the area of the fire was completed.

Together, we decided that it would be better if we did not try to put a dark background behind the flames.

He asked me if he could keep my drawing and I was happy to give it to him.

Creative Hands on Festival

Today Lois Shaw I were setting up the KAGS display at the Creative Hands on Festival.















Over the next three days we will have three to four artists from the Gallery doing demonstrations of painting in oils or watercolour and I will also be showing people how do a painting of a pine tree in watercolour.













It is being held on the lower level of the Peterborough Square from 13-15 September 2019 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.














If you have a chance please come out this weekend and enjoy a wide variety of arts and crafts on display and try your hand at making a wide variety of crafts.

Fire - A Work in Progress

Today I was babysitting my grandson, Aaron and after supper he wanted to draw and colour.

So, I had him get washed and into pajamas so he would be ready for bed when his dad came home on his break to put him to bed.

While he was getting ready I got out coloured pencils and paper. When he was ready, I asked him what he would like to draw and he said "A campfire."

So, we sat together and I had him follow along with me.

First, I made a curved line near the bottom of the paper and using brown I ran lines out from the curved line to make the logs.

Next, we ran dark lines outward on each log to give the illusion of bark, followed by colouring them in.

Now it was time to put in the flames, using yellow, green, red, blue and orange.

Before we could finish the drawing his dad came home and it was time for him to go to bed.

Construction Safety Helmet

Today I wanted to finish the third outline sketch from the Still Life class at KAGS from last week (see posts on 02 and 05 November 2018).

I thought it was suitable that the construction safety helmet was supported by a brick in this display of hats.

I also liked the fact that the brick was not one of the run of the mill flat red bricks, but had core holes called keys and on the long sides of narrow edge had a number of indents.

This brick was made for strength, quality, weight reduction and cost reduction.

I may go in at a later date and do more work on the brick and add shadows and highlights onto the helmet.

Three Hats

On Thursday last week I was at the Still Life class at KAGS where I worked on three drawings of some of the various hats in the display (see post on 02 November 2018).

I finished this line drawing today from the class. It is of three different hats, a broad brimmed lady's straw hat with a ribbon, a white boater and a cowboy hat.

The three of them made a nice display, with the Lady's hat resting at the top of a cylinder on top of a cloth covered box in the centre.














With the boater hat leaning against the box on the left side and the cowboy hat as it leaned against the box on the right side.

I enjoyed placing the folds of the cloth, as it draped down the box and onto the table creating interesting patterns.

I am not sure if I will go back into this drawing at a later date and add in some shading, or leave it as an outline sketch.

Two Hats

Yesterday I was at KAGS to open the Gallery for the Still Life Class this month. Each member of the Group will open for one month rather than one person in the group doing it all the time.

The theme for the class was Hats and we were spoiled for choice as there were eleven different hats to draw or paint.

For one of my sketches I chose a wide brimmed straw hat that was leaning against a small wooden stand and a baseball cap that was sitting on the table close by.














I am fairly happy with the outline sketch of the hat and cap. I also lightly indicated the folds of the cloth that were on the table and the wooden stand.

I am not sure if I will go back into this at a later date and add some shading or leave it as an outline sketch.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.

Fantasy Flowers

Today I took a class called "Pour Your Heart Out" with Valerie Kent at the Cavan Art Gallery in Cavan, Ontario.

Having tried poured acrylic painting earlier this year I knew how much left over paint there would be so I took along a dozen small 2" x 2" canvases to create some small poured paintings to eliminate wasting so much paint.

For the first painting we did is what called a "Puddle Pour" which can be more realistic as you have more control over the paint as it slides around on the canvas.

We were told to pick three colours and either white or black for the fourth one and I chose white and decided I would use the three primary colours. We mixed the paint together with equal parts of Floetrol.















We layered each of the colours in three different areas on the canvas.

I started in the first corner with my blue as the base, followed by yellow, red and lastly white. From there I went diagonally across the canvas and started with red, followed by blue, yellow and white.

For my last flower I went partway up the canvas and used white first followed by yellow red and blue.

Using a large straw I blew the paint across the canvas to form "petal" shapes. When I was pleased with the results I used the end of a Popsicle stick and indicated the flower stamens.

The final part of this painting I dropped light and dark green onto the canvas to create leaves, vines and stems by pushing the colour around with the Popsicle stick.

This original 11" x 14" poured acrylic painting when framed with be available for $175.00.

Colour and Composition 3-5 - Three Works in Progress

Today we had a wide variety of weather, starting with a rare winter thunder storm around 4:00am in the morning, which was followed by 1/4" (6mm) of ice accretions, changing to rain and by 2:00pm we had a flash freeze followed by 4" (10cm) of snow.














Colour and Composition 3

Since I wasn't going to go anywhere, I pulled out three paintings from my Colour and Composition class that I took with Neil Broadfoot in 2011 (see posts on 15 December 2011 and 29 January 2012).

After taking some time to look at White Cedars 1 (see post on 15 August 2017) I felt that the background colours would overpower the painting, which is why I decided to lighten each of these three pieces.














Colour and Composition 4

Using water and a soft bristle paint brush I gently lightened the darker areas of paint from each of the paintings.

On each of the three pieces I left different amounts of the green pigment, from removing all of it, leaving a faint trace and leaving a stronger but subtle amount.













Colour and Composition 5 - White Cedars 1

I will post each of these three pieces at a later date as more work on them is completed.

Poster for the Waterfall Painting Class

I just had the poster made for the class I am teaching at The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ontario on 17 January 2018.

If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Janice Costa at The Point.

Hung Out to Dry 1-4

Today I spent the day at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio.

In the morning I took the Still life class where the theme was Wash Day - Things Hung Out to Dry.

A clothesline was strung from the support beams in the ceiling and it didn't take long for a couple of  brightly coloured summer dresses, a white dress shirt, a pair of denim jeans, a housecoat, flannel pajama pants, a bright red satin corset and a teddy bear were hung along with a clothes pin bag.

Hung Out to Dry 1

I started with a drawing of the teddy bear with his paw through one of the straps on the corset.

The next sketch was of the white dress shirt.

What attracted me to that one was the many folds in the material and the different areas of shadows and cast shadows throughout the shirt in a wide variety of blue, blue greys and greys.

Since I have reference photographs and this sketch I may do a large painting of the shirt on the line at a later date.

Hung Out to Dry 2

Beside the shirt was a pair of black denim jeans which I started on next.

After completing the sketch of the jeans I thought it needed a little more around it, so I added a part of the white shirt on the left side and although there was a brightly coloured dress beside it I took artist's licence and changed it into a towel instead.

From there I started on another sketch of the clothes, but this time those on the far left side of the clothes line.

Hung Out to Dry 3

I placed the pajama bottoms in first with the one leg flipped up over the clothesline as though blown there by the wind and then added in the house coat beside it to the left.















Hung Out to Dry 4

I felt that the sketch needed a few more clothes so I put in part of one of the dresses on the left side and a wash cloth on the right side.

I'm Cute - A Work in Progress

Today I taught an art class on painting a Holstein cow at The Point in in Young's Point, Ontario.

I had the outline drawing of the image already drawn out on a template for the class and all they had to do was transfer it onto their stretched canvas.















Once that was done I had them paint in the sky using a mix of ultramarine blue and titanium white.

Next I had them do the muzzle and nostrils of the cow using various mixes of ultramarine blue, titanium white and Grumbacher (naphthol) red before we took a break for supper.















When we returned they started with the black areas on the cow using Mars black as the base and the highlights were various mixtures of the black with titanium white added.

Titanium white was painted into the white parts of the cow as the base and the shadow colour in the white areas was the same colour mixtures that were used in the black areas for the highlights.















I needed to help most of my students with painting the eyes.

For the most part they could get the brown part of the eye painted in with burnt sienna, but then had problems with the placement of the black pupil and the white highlight.

I will post this painting at a later date once more of the cow has been completed.

I'm Cute - Drawing

Today I wanted to do the drawing of the cow for the art class I will be teaching  at The Point on 23 August 2017.

The transfer will be a plain outline drawing, without markings which will allow each student to paint in the markings they want on the cow.















Since the class is made up of beginners I wanted to be sure that there would be large areas of one colour to keep it easy for them to complete the painting in the three hours of the class.

Now I just need to make a few photocopies for the class and everything is ready.

Poster for the Crazy Cow Class at The Point

I just had the poster made for the class I am teaching at The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ontario on 23 August 2017.

If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Janice Costa at The Point.

Sunset Island I, 3 and 4 - Three Works in Progress

Today I taught a class at The Point in Young's Point, Ontario with Cindy Allan and Norma MacEachern as my assistants.

I showed the group the one Cindy and Norma had worked on with me (see post on 26 May 17) earlier this month.

I did a small painting of the sky and water for the group using mixtures of raw sienna and burnt sienna.

All of them wanted to do the sky in the poster (see post on 03 May 2017).

Sunset Island 4

I did a large sky, warning them in advance that they must be careful so they do not end up with green in the sky where it comes in contact with the yellow.

Using a mix of Antwerp blue and French ultramarine blue the top of the sky was brushed in and while I was still wet burnt sienna and the blue mix was brushed in for the clouds.

A mix of raw sienna and burnt sienna was put into the bottom of the sky, darkened slightly and brushed across the bottom for the water.

Sunset Island 3

Most of the group were having a few problems with following along with what needed to be done so I did up two smaller pieces (one for each group) so they could see the steps.

Once they had the sky and water painted in we then broke for supper while the paint dried.

With a dark mixture of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, we started painting in all the silhouettes beginning with the far island, its reflections in the water.

I started working on one of the small pieces to add in the rocks, trees and water ripples.

Sunset Island I

I would like to thank Mrs. Denise Coon on her purchase of Sunset Island 5.

Poster for the Sunset Island Class at The Point

I just had the poster made for the class I am teaching at The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ontario on the 31 May 17.

If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Janice Costa at The Point.

Poster for the Birch Tree Class at The Point

I just had the poster made for the class I am teaching at The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ontario on the 22 February 17.

If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Janice Costa at The Point.

The Point

Today I went to The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ont., with Cindy Allan and Norma MacEachern.









It didn't take long to hang my paintings on the one wall, where they will remain on display from 10 January through to 14 March 2017.













Over lunch we spoke with owners Max and Janice Costa about the class Cindy would be teaching tomorrow night and the class I would teach next month on 22 February 2017.














If you get a chance come out to The Point and enjoy a meal Tuesday through Saturday and an added bonus is the live music on Saturday night from 5-8 p.m.

Galerie Q

Yesterday the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group painted at the Cavan Art Gallery and Galerie Q, which are two art galleries located side by side on County Road 10 in Cavan Monoghan, Ontario.

In the afternoon the Group went to Galerie Q and were given a tour of the Gallery with a dialogue on the various artists and their paintings.

Their current exhibit for the month of June presents a one time opportunity for the public to start or add to their art collection of original paintings for $1,000.00 or less each.

The Gallery's collection of Canadian masterpieces consists of over 500 pieces of original art by artists who have attained the RCA (Royal Canadian Academy of Arts) designation.














In addition to this collection they feature the works of selected and very talented emerging, mid career and senior artists who have shown mastery in their field of art.














The beautifully laid out gallery is a feast for the eyes. It displays approximately 125 paintings at a time, with the exhibition changing each month during the summer and every other month in the winter.














The accent pieces placed throughout the gallery are delightful. Sculptures in metal, porcelain and marble together with enchanting pieces of hand blown and formed glass.















The dark, polished hardwood floor adds warmth to the rooms and reflects light from the windows and the pale coloured walls.














The inviting table and chairs in the centre of the main gallery on the lower level beckon people to sit and relax with a beverage and enjoy and reflect on the artwork presented.

The first floor is not the only place to find wonderful art work.

There is another large room upstairs on the second floor where you may even be able to view the new works that have arrived for the upcoming exhibition.

The historic, two storey building has hosted a variety of businesses throughout the years.

It started as one of two post offices established in Cavan Monaghan Township on 06 January 1830, the second one was in Bailieboro.














Since then it has been a butcher shop, a grocery store, a restaurant, a tearoom and a variety store before sitting empty for almost a decade, before the gallery owner purchased the building.

Then spending seven years renovating the building to its current state before the Gallery could hold its official opening on Friday, 12 December 2014.

If you are in the area be sure to visit Galerie Q at the four corners (Highway 7A and County Road 10) in Cavan Monaghan Township. I am sure you will return often.